1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to magnetic cores for electrical inductive apparatus, such as transformers and reactors, and more specifically to methods of consolidating magnetic cores containing an amorphous metal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of amorphous metal in the magnetic core of electrical inductive apparatus is desirable when core losses are important, as the core losses in amorphous metal cores are substantially lower than with regular grainoriented electrical steel. Magnetic cores wound from a strip of amorphous metal, however, are not self-supporting, and will collapse if not otherwise supported when the male portion of the winding mandrel is removed from the core window. If an amorphous core is deformed, or otherwise not operated in its as-wound configuration, the core losses increase significantly. Amorphous metal is also very brittle, especially after stress anneal, which is required to optimize the magnetic characteristics of the magnetic core. Care must be taken to properly support the magnetic core during and after stress anneal, such that additional stresses are not introduced into the magnetic core material.
Thus, it would be desirable to economically consolidate such magnetic cores, making them dimensionally stable as well as enabling them to be handled during assembly, and to operate in their intended environment with associated electrical windings, without significantly increasing the core losses. These objectives should be achieved without resorting to box-like core enclosures, costly molds, and the like, as the multiplicity of magnetic core sizes make such "solutions" forbiddenly expensive.